The present invention relates to tabs fabricated from metal capable of being soldered, and more particularly to soldering tabs fabricated from a precious metal for securing together investment molded crowns fabricated from non-precious metals.
The addition to teeth of prosthetic structures, such as for example, an arrangement of at least two crowns secured together, are well known in the art. However, these crowns are wholly fabricated from metals capable of being soldered, in most cases precious metals, where the crown are investment molded. At the present time, the cost of precious metals has risen sharply, being at least five times or more the price of a few years ago. Accordingly, the cost of the precious metal has greatly increased the cost of the crowns fabricated therefrom.
Several attempts have been made to solve this cost problem, however these attempts usually create additional problems. Attempts have been made to fabricate the crowns from non-precious metals, but it has been found that these crowns cannot be soldered together, so that alternate methods must be used to secure the nonprecious metal crowns together. Such methods as using locking pins, interlocking keys, bridge members and screw threaded means have been employed, but these are not easily handled by the dentist and usually result in an increased cost in the manufacture thereof and the labor involved.